Header.



No. 659,547. Patented Oct. 9, I900. E. m. PRING.

HEADER.

(Application filed Oct. 28, 1899.) qNo Model.) 2 Shegts-Shael I.

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Patented Oct. 9, I I900.

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(Applicationfiled Oct. 28. 1899.)

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2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

' ATENT QFFic ELZA M. PRING, OF ALLERTON, IOWA.

H EA D E R SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 659,547, dated October 9, 1900. Application filed N0vember28, 1899. Serial No. 738,560. (Nomodel-l To all whom, it may concern:

Be itknown that I, ELZA M. PRING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Allerton, in the county of WVayne and State of Iowa, have invented new and useful Improvements in Headers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in headers, and pertains to an improved means for raising and lowering the cutter and its platform, all of which will be fully described hereinafter, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The object of my invention is to provide a means for raising and lowering the cutter and the platform of a header, by means of which one man can do the work which has heretofore required several men to perform. Forinstance, when a machine of this character is in a ditch it is necessary to lift the cutter-bar and its platform before it can be removed, and in order to accomplish this it requires three or four men in the usual construction of headers, and I find by experience that in this operation the platform frequently gets twisted out of shape in pulling the machine out of a ditch. Again, in the usual construction of headers when it is being transported on the road and it becomes necessary to cross a bridge it requires the help of three additional men (four in all) and about an hours work to unfasten the platform and put it on a wagon, whereas my invention enables one man to lift the platform and its cutter and move the platform over a low-wheeled wagon, then let the platform down thereon and unfasten it and have it ready to be taken across the bridge in a very I few minutes.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the same. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing those parts involving my invention and the other parts of the header removed. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detached perspective view of one of the vertically-movable bars attached to the platform and its cog-wheel and a part of its shaft for raising the same. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the guide M.

Referring now to the drawings, a description will only be given of those parts of the machine with which my invention operates, the other elements going to make up the combined machine being well understood by those skilled in the art.

A indicates the supporting-wheels, and B the axle, of the machine. Attached to the axle and extending rearward is a bar 0, carrying at its rear end a guiding-wheel D, the improved connection of which with the rear end of the bar 0 will be described hereinafter.

E is the vertically-movable d raper-platform, to which are connected the forward ends of two L-shaped bars F, the vertical portion of the L being provided with cogs a and the horizontal portion extending forward and suitably connected, as before stated, with the draper-platform E. Pivotally supported by the axle B is a transversely-extending rockshaft G, to which is attached the forward end of alever H, the said lever H extending rearward. By raising or lowering the said lever the platform is tilted, thereby lowering or raising the outer end thereof carrying the knives without affecting to any extent the inner end carrying the rack-bars. The rockshaft G and the lever H are here shown of the usual construction, the lever H carrying at its rear end a catch device I, of any wellknown form, which is adapted to engage a vertically-arranged rod J, which has its lower end loosely connected or hinged to the tongue or bar C.

My improvement relates to the L-shaped bars heretofore mentioned and to the mechanism which I will now describe. Attached to opposite ends of the rock-shaft G are the forwardly-extending arms b, between the forward ends of which is suitably journaled a revoluble shaft b, the said shaft b carrying a large pulley c, which is preferably situated thereon approximately at the front end of the lever H. Journaled to the lever H, at a suitable point intermediate its ends, is a shaft M, carrying an operating-crank N, of a length sufficient to give the desired power in connection with the large wheel 0 to enable '1; person through the medium of the crank and its shaft to elevate he cutter-bar and itsplatform through the medium of the mechanism to which I will now refer.

The rotating shaft b has attached to it the upper ends of two chains 6, the lower ends of the chains being attached to the cutter-bar platform in any suitable manner, and a wire rope or cable f has one end attached to the periphery of the wheel a and its opposite end connected to the cranloshaft M, which is journaled upon the lever H. By means of this construction it will be seen that through the medium of said shaft the operator is enabled to cause the winding of the chains 2,

' and consequently the lifting of the draperplatform.

For the purpose of enabling the draperplatform to he lifted in a level or horizontal position the L-shaped bars heretofore referred to'are provided. Extending rearward from the axle B is a U-shaped metal frame in suitable ways m, carried by the said U shaped frame P, and thus serving to hold the cog-wheels and the cogs of the L-shaped bars normally in engagement. A chain or wire cable 11 has one end connected with the revoluble shaft 1) and its opposite end connected with the revoluble shaft 71 and Wound therearound. From this construction it will be seen that when the revoluble shaft b is rotated for the purpose of elevating the cutterbar and its platform the shaft '1: is correspondingly rotated, which through the medinm of the gearing before referred to causes acorresponding vertical movement of the L- shaped bars, which serve to hold the platform level or horizontal.

From this description it will be seen that a single person is enabled to lift the draper platform for the purpose of enabling the machine to be moved out of a ditch or to be lifted for the purpose of enabling the machine to move over a bridge in a road or other obstruc tion or enables the operator to lift the platform sufliciently to enable a low-wheeled vehicle to be placed under the platform and to be lowered thereon. By a, lowering of the platform the cogged portion of the L-shaped bars can be carried out of engagement with the cogs upon the shaft 13, and this will permit the detachment of the platform. Owing to this construction the platform can be quickly and readily elevated and lowered for detachment and can be as quickly attached and raised in the proper elevation for operation by a single person, as will be readily understood, thus reducing the cost of the number of hands usually required for the same operations. llse steering-wheel D is supported in a vertical fork 5, said vertical fork having a spring connection with the rear end of the tongue 0 for the purpose of relieving the unpleasant jar to the rider which is so prominent in the present construction of headers. This spring connection consists of a U -shaped plate 6, connected to the said fork, and a smaller L- shaped plate 7, connected to the rear end of the pole C, and situated above and below the said plate 7 are the springs 8, which serve to make a spring-support for the tongue 0, and consequently a spr1ng-support for the rider.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A header comprising a movable platform, a lever, a stationary platform, a rockshaft mounted thereon and having outwardlyprojecting arms, a rotatable shaft mounted in said arms and having a connectionwith the movable platfortma second rotatable shaft carried by the stationary platform and having a connection with the movable platform, a connection between the two rotatable shafts, and means carried by the lever for rotating the shaft carried by the said arms, substantially as described.

2. A header comprisinga frame,a rock-shaft carried by said frame and having outwardlyprojecting arms, a lever operatively connected to said rock-shaft, a rotary shaft carried by the arms carried by the said rockshaft, a vertically-movable platform, a connection between the rotary shaft and the platform, a winding device, carried by the outer end of the lever, and a flexible actuating connection between the rotary shaft and the wind ing device carried by the outer end of the lever, substantially as described.

3. A header comprising a frame,a rock-shaft carried by said frame and having outwardlyprojecting arms,a lever connected to the rockshaft, a rotary shaft carried by the said arms, a vertically-movable platform having rearwardly-extending L-shaped rack-bars, s rotary shaft carried by the frame, a pinion at each end of said shaft and meshing with the L-shaped rack-bars, flexible connections between the rota'ry shaft carried by the arms and the platform, and flexible connections between the said shaft and the rotary shaft carried by the frame, and means for rotating said shaft, whereby the front and back of the platform is simultaneously raised, substantially as described.

4. Aheadercomprisingaframe,arock-shaft carried by said frame and having outwardlyprojecting arms, a lever connected to the rockshaft, a rotary shaft connected to said arms, a platform having rearwardly-extending L- shaped rack-bars, a rotary shaft carried by the frame, pinions carried thereby, and meshing with the L-shaped rack-bars, flexible connections between the rotary shaft carried by the said arms and the platform, flexible connections between-the said shaft and the rotary shaft carrying the pinions, a windingdrum mounted on the rotary shaft carried by the said arms, a winding means carried by the lever, and a flexible connection between the drum and the winding means, substantially as described.

5. Aheadercomprisingasupporting-frame, a vertically-movable platform, a horizontallyarranged rock-shaft having arms, a lever connected with the rock-shaft, a rotatable shaft supported by the arms carried by the rockshaft, connections between the said rotatable shaft and the platform, a rotatable actuating member carried by the lever, and an operating connection between the actuating member and said rotatable shaft, substantially as described.

6. A header comprisingasupporting-frame, a vertically-movable platform, a transverselyarranged rock-shaft, a lever connected with and adapted to actuate the said shaft, a rotatable shaft supported by arms cai ried by the rock-shaft, connections between the rotatable shaft and the platform, a wheel carried by the rotatable shaft, an actuating-shaf t carried by the lever, and a flexible connection between the actuating shaft and said wheel, substantially as described.

7. Aheadercomprisingasupporting-frame, a vertically-movable platform, a transverselyarranged rock-shaft supported by the supporting-frame, a lever connected to said rockshaft, a rotatable shaft supported by arms carried by the rock-shaft, a connection between said shaft and platform, a second rotatable shaft carried by the supporting-frame, a connection between the said shaft and platform, a connection between the two rotatable shafts, and means for actuating the shaft carried by the arms carried by the rock-shaft, substantially as described.

8. A header comprising a supporting-frame, a transversely-arranged rock-shaft, a rotatable shaft supported by arms carried thereby, a platform, connections between the rotatable shaft and the platform, a second rotatable shaft su pported'by the supporting-frame, the ends of said shaft provided with cog-wheels, the platform vertically-arranged cog members in engagement with the cog-wheels, a lever having one end attached to the rockshafts, an operating member carried by the lever and operatively connected with the rotatable shaft supported by the arms carried by the said rock-shaft, and a connection between the said rotatable shafts, substantially as described.

9. Aheadercomprisingasupporting-frame, a vertically-movable platform, a horizontallyarranged rock-shaft, a lever connected with the rock-shaft, a rotatable shaft supported by bearings carried by the rock-shaft, connections between the said rotatable shaft and the platform, and means for rotating said shaft, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ELZA M. PRING.

Witnesses:

W. A. HUTOHINSON, JOHN FERREL. 

